


6AM Vodka & Accidental Therapy

by chasethewind



Series: Dribbles and Drabbles [37]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Drinking, Drunken Confessions, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Neighbors
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-03
Updated: 2016-11-03
Packaged: 2018-08-28 13:52:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8448568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chasethewind/pseuds/chasethewind
Summary: @iloveyourintimate: oh, OH! “You’re my neighbor who got drunk and thought this was your apartment but I can’t just send you back home when you keep crying and venting about all of these awful things happening to you” AU24. “It’s six o’clock in the morning, you’re not having vodka.”32. “I locked the keys in the car.”





	

_ _

_Scratching_ , that was the strange sound that forced Felicity out of bed at five-thirty in the morning on a Sunday. What the hell was scratching at her front door? The neighbors’ cat? A puppy? She had no idea, but it had been going on for well over ten minutes now, and it was getting louder and more persistent the longer she waited to get out of bed and see what it was exactly. Grabbing the baseball bat behind her bedroom door, she crept out into the living room to take a peek through the peephole.

“What the…?” Felicity yanked the door open, the bat raised about her head in anticipation. It was a lost puppy or the neighbor's’ cat that came spilling through the threshold, but a _person_. At tall person, at least six feet in height, with glassy blue, bloodshot eyes, and the strong scent of alcohol emanating from his clothes. Something about him seemed familiar though, like she’d seen him around. Then it hit her: this guy was her upstairs neighbor, the quiet one who worked late into the night and slept most of the day.

Felicity had never been bothered by him. He was always polite, always staying out of everyone’s way and keeping to himself. This man, sprawled out on the floor at her feet, couldn’t be the same guy, but he had all his features. “Um, excuse me,” she said, gently prodding him in the shoulder with her toes.

“Huh?” He glanced up at her in his drunken stupor looking utterly confused. “‘M so sorry,” he slurred. “I think I have the wrong apartment.”

“Yeah, you do,” Felicity answered. “I believe yours is one floor above mine.”

He tried sitting up and getting back on his feet, but the amount of alcohol he had in his system seemed to be preventing it. “Can I just… Can I just… sit here… for a moment?” he asked, leaning against the door frame, looking a little worse for wear. “I just… I don’t wanna be alone right now,” he added, swiping his hand over his face.

That’s when she noticed the faint trail of dried tears on his cheeks. Felicity put down her bat. How could she say no to him, especially when it was becoming more and more obvious that he’d been crying. “Hey,” she said, “are you alright?”

“I’m… ‘M fine,” he mumbled, keeping his head down as he stared at his scuffed leather boots.

Felicity sunk down beside him. While she didn’t know this man, her heart went out to him. He looked to be having a rough time that night by his disheveled appearance and the alcohol on his breath. Whatever he was going through, she didn’t want him to go through it alone. “What’s your name?” she asked.

“Ol’ver,” he mumbled.

“It’s nice to meet you, Oliver. My name is Felicity,” she replied.

“F’liss’tee,” he slurred, a wayward smile appearing on his lips. “‘S such a pretty name… Just like you.”

Felicity couldn’t help but laugh. Here was this drunk guy that had stumbled into her room at almost six in the morning, completely drunk and looking worse for wear, yet still able to hit on her. “Wow,” she replied. “I think you need to get some water in you before you end up with a monster hangover.”

“No water, more vodka,” Oliver replied. “More liquor, less hangover.”

“It’s six o’clock in the morning, you’re not having vodka,” she deadpanned before pushing herself up off the wall and heading straight for her kitchen. Grabbing a glass from the cupboard next to the sink, she filled it with water and grabbed two ibuprofen tablets from the other cupboard before returning to her drunken neighbor. “Here,” Felicity said as she thrust the glass into one hand and the pills into the other. “That should help sober you up.”

Even though Oliver glowered at her, he did as he was told, downing the pills with the water before handing the empty glass back to her.

“Now, what brings you scratching at my door at six in the morning,” she asked.

“I don’ wanna talk ‘bout it,” Oliver grumbled, keeping his head down as he started staring at his shoes again.

“You got my ass out of bed at six a-m on a Sunday, my one day off. The least you can give me is an explanation,” Felicity said.

“I locked the keys in the car,” Oliver mumbled.

“I hope to god that was at the bar because you are in no shape to be driving.”

“No, at work.”

“Okay, so you locked your keys in your car at work. Anything else?”

“My parents think I’m a failure,” Oliver confessed. “My sister is nine years younger than me and already has her MBA. I dropped out of four colleges and never went back.”

She could see the pain in his bloodshot eyes, simmering close to the surface yet still managing to stay just beneath. He was doing his best not to cry again and Felicity could see the struggle coming to a head. She sat down beside him once more, this time reaching out to place her hand on his leather clad forearm. “You can always go back,” she gently replied. “Some people just need a little time before they’re ready for college. You can always try again whenever you feel you’re ready.”

Oliver wasn’t listening though. His head hung even lower, and he had begun to sniffle. “I walked in on my girlfriend cheating on me with my best friend,” he added as a lone tear streaked down his scruffy cheek.

“Oh, dear,” Felicity breathed.

“In our bed!” Oliver sobbed. “We’ve been together for eight years. I changed who I was for her. I ‘manned up’ for her. And this is what she does to me?”

“Hey,” Felicity whispered, her hand rubbing up and down his arm in an attempt to soothe his aching heart. He gazed up at her, those tear-filled blue eyes staring into the depths of her soul. God, he was so beautiful, especially at that moment when he was at his most vulnerable. She could see just how deeply all these terrible things were affecting him, and her heart ached as if she felt them too. “I’m sorry for what’s happening to you. I know there’s nothing I can say to make you feel better, but if you’d like to sleep on my couch until you feel better, you’re more than welcome to.”

Felicity knew she was taking a risk letting him stay at her place that morning. She barely knew Oliver, but for some reason, she felt she could trust him. Besides, if what he was saying was true, she really didn’t want to be alone, especially if he was drunk and in agony over his current state of affairs.

“You don’t have to do that,” Oliver brokenly replied as he tried to stand up again. This time, he managed to get to his feet, but stumbled and nearly fell over again. If she hadn’t been there to catch him, he would have hit the floor face first and Felicity really didn’t want to see such a pretty face ruined.

“No, it’s fine,” she said, giving him a warm smile. “Come on.” She took hold of his arm and led him into her apartment. The couch was only a few feet away, and after she’d helped Oliver take a seat, Felicity went straight to her room to grab an extra blanket and a pillow. When she returned to the living room, his shoes had been discarded and his feet were up on the cushions while his head had come to rest against the padded arm.

The gentle snore that slipped from his throat let her know Oliver was already asleep. Setting the pillow down on the coffee table, Felicity threw the blanket over him before heading to the kitchen to grab another glass of water. She set it down on the table next to the pillow before heading back to her room.

Felicity promised herself she’d talk to him more later that day, after she’d gotten a little more sleep and he’d sobered up. She couldn’t just let Oliver go through this by himself. Having experienced her fair share of heartache without a shoulder to cry on, Felicity was determined to help him. Maybe then she could face her own demons.


End file.
